Vacant home burglaries on the rise in Kitsap County

Vacant home burglaries on the rise in Kitsap County

SEATTLE — Kitsap County has seen a recent spike in vacant home burglaries that has a local group of realtors concerned.

According to the Kitsap Sun, there have been 29 homes burglarized during the first six months of 2013. All of the homes that were burglarized were for sale. The newspaper reported that in 2012, there were 27 homes for sale that were burglarized; in 2011, that number was just 16.

The Kitsap County Association of Realtors is urging neighbors to help them keep a watchful eye on any suspicious activity at homes that are for sale and vacant in their neighborhoods.

The group said a lot of times neighbors don’t report anything suspicious because thieves are becoming better at concealing their criminal activities by blending in or appearing to be interested buyers.

Several of the homes this year that have been targeted had large appliances inside that were taken.